Isaiah 30:21 –  And your ears will hear a word behind you saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left.

 

I don’t always have the best luck remembering directions from one location to the next.  I often refer to myself as “directionally impaired” when someone tries to teach me how to get to a new destination, so I ask them to give me landmarks and left/right directions, rather than North, South, East, or West.  If I don’t have a compass, North is always straight ahead, for me.

My husband, bless his atlas-loving little soul, is determined to cure me of my lack directional clarity. Too many times he has received  that phone call, expecting the very words he dreads, “ Help! I am lost.”

He hates that I use the Garmin because it doesn’t ‘teach’ me anything.   He is right, partly; it does limit my ability to gage my surroundings and adequately reroute myself when going the wrong direction without its help.

It is easy to rely on the technology for my direction, but it is dangerous. Technology can fail. It will break down. There will always be newer and better updates to replace the old and outdated, but Isaiah 30 talks about finding direction when we are lost.

Verse 21 tells us we will hear voice directing us and how to travel, “to listen and walk in the way.”.

I realize just how easily I can become lost, completely submerged in the task at hand or the circumstance which surrounds me.  Again, the 30th chapters of Isaiah, verses 15-21, give us some instruction on what to do when we are lost.

Vs. 20 says, that though we are given the bread of adversity, our Teacher will not hide from us and as we return to him ( vs 15)  our eyes will completely behold our Teacher.

I can easily be lost in the beauty of the view, as well, missing the importance of moving forward if I am not also hearing the voice speaking behind me saying, “This is the way walk in it.”

 

My husband wants me safe and takes time to try to train me in the art of understanding direction. Through that process he is ultimately stretching me, helping me learn the art of paying attention to my surroundings.

When we are lost, our attention is often diverted to something else.  Sometimes our eyes are looking anywhere but the direction when need to go because we are stuck in the moment, unaware of how or where to take the next step.

Back to Isaiah 30 we see that the Lord is waiting expectantly for us and we must return to Him to be saved.

When I am lost, I need to return to the start, sometimes, to retrace how I ended up where I am . I revisit and review my path, taking in the sights again, acquainting myself with the surroundings so I can get my bearings.

After 21 years of marriage to my own consistent compass of direction, I have learned a little about the art of navigation and redirection.   The lessons are not completely lost in the empty bank of memories, but residing nearby to be pulled from in those times I hear the voice speaking in my ear. There are even moments I surprise us both, recognizing where I am and what direction to go.  I have a mini-celebration dance when that happens,  I will admit, while my husband breathes a bit easier.

 

The Word reminds us that the lost will always be found in the Lord. He is the Master of Salvation, meeting us wherever we are, rescuing and redeeming and restoring for His glory and our good.

I am encouraged that in those times of being lost He promises to never leave or forsake me and  in my weakness He will be strong.

Lost in the world I am aimlessly sailing on a ship without a rudder or a sail to blow me to safety. Lost in God I am floating on a stream whose current has ONE source of direction, always taking me closer to my final destination. All I have to do is listen to the voice speaking words of promise and hope as it directs me forward.

I am confident of this: I want to be so lost in God that I can be a compass which points directly to Him, so fully prepared to hear his voice that my path is ever before me and my ability to receive direction  for the journey is no longer impaired.

 

Praying for your direction to be unimpaired and your status of lost would be where you are found firmly rooted in His grip.

 

~Blessings,

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Lisa Jo @ Five Minute Friday